1. Field
One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication apparatus for communication between different devices, and a method of controlling the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Buildings are large-scale and highly functionalized, and various facilities for air conditioning, sanitation, electricity, security, fire protection, etc. are combined in a complex fashion in a typical building.
A building automation system (BAS) is constructed to monitor and control these facilities and includes a central control management system (CCMS), a direct digital controller (DDC), and local devices.
In order to allow a large amount of control and monitoring information to be shared between various local devices and a system (e.g., a CCMS to control air conditioning, electricity, lighting, parking, elevators, etc.), a BAS should have a reliable and fast communication infrastructure. Building automation and control network (BACnet) is adopted as an international communication standard related to building automation.
That is, a BAS has a subsystem designed to adopt only one protocol necessary for each controller.
In this case, devices supporting a BACnet protocol are compatible with each other while devices not supporting the BACnet protocol are not. That is, devices using different protocols are not compatible with each other.
As described above, since different protocols (BACnet, LonWorks, Modbus, KNX, etc.) are used in the field of building automation, compatibility is low and some device functions are canceled or changed. In order to solve this problem, the need for integrated control has increased.
In addition to the above problem, when compatibility between a device using a BACnet protocol and a device using a non-BACnet protocol is achieved for communication therebetween, control may not be possible according to a message type used to perform protocol conversion.
Besides, in an environment such as a smart grid (a home energy management system (HEMS) or a building energy management system (BEMS)), in some cases, a message should be transmitted and received between devices using different protocols. However, the devices may not communicate with each other due to the different protocols.
Here, the term “smart grid” refers to a system that allows a user to consume electricity differently from a routine consumption pattern in response to electricity demand. As such, devices that respond to electricity demand are being developed, and these devices communicate with and control operations of an electricity controller or other devices.
As described above, due to an environment such as a smart grid (an HEMS or a BEMS), a large number of devices using various protocols are operatively coupled to a system, their configurations become complicated and requirements are frequently changed, and thus it is not easy to provide an integrated control environment to a user.